Monday, March 18, 2013

Buds on the Orange Tree

Winter has not been kind to the orange tree in our Arizona backyard, Too many nights of freezing temperatures caused it to lose over half of its leaves. Yellowed and leathery, they lay on the ground many a cold morning.

The last few weeks have been different, however. The nourishing sun and hot weather, coupled with strategically placed irrigation, brought new life to the little Arizona sweet orange dwarf tree.

Buds abound. If there is one, there must be a hundred. And, like so many of the trees in Michigan after last spring's hard freeze, this tree is developing another set of leaves. In the photo you can see a large leaf on the bottom left. That's an old leaf. Contrast it in size to the myriad new leaves surrounding the little popcorn looking buds.

Quite a tough cookie, this little tree is. Maybe, just maybe, it will produce some fruit this year.